Alakshmi

Alakshmi

Alakshmi is the older sister of Lakshmi and the Hindu goddess of misfortune. She is also the second wife of Kali, the male demon from the Kalki Purana and the Mahabharata. [http://www.geocities.com/prasanna_avaroth/mbtns/MBTN_2.pdf Chapter X Samudra mathana] ]

Background

She is described as being “cow-repelling, antelope-footed, [and] bull-toothed." Or she “has [a] dry shriveled up body, sunken cheeks, thick lips, and beady eyes and that she rides a donkey." She sometimes takes the form of an owl that is portrayed accompanying Lakshmi. It is believed the owl is the representation of “arrogance and stupidity that often accompanies fortune [brought by Lakshmi] and heralds misfortune.” It is for this reason that Lakshmi's devotees are wary of the owl. Pattanaik, Devdutt. "Lakshmi: The Goddess of Wealth and Fortune-An Introduction". Vakils Feffer & Simons Ltd, 2003 (ISBN 8187111585)] There are many myths surrounding her origins. One legend says her sister was born from the radiance of Prajapati’s face, while Alakshmi was born from his back. Another says her sister was born from the churned ocean of milk, while she rose from the Kalakuta poison dripping from Vasuki Naga’s mouth. Still others simply say both were born from the ocean of milk, but Alakshmi is always the oldest of the two. [Krishna, Nanditha. "The Book of Vishnu". Penguin Global, 2001 (ISBN 0670049077)] According to one source, “It was said that when she entered a household, Alakshmi brought jealousy and malice in her trail. Brothers fell out with each other, families and their male lineages (kula) faced ruin and destruction."Chakrabarty, Dipesh. "Provincializing Europe". Princeton University Press, 2000 (ISBN 0691049092)]

According to one story, Alakshmi was upset because her younger sister was wife to Vishnu and was living in the Vaikuntha paradise, while she had neither husband nor abode. Lakshmi then decreed “Mrityu, god of death, decay, and degeneration will be Alakshmi’s husband and she will dwell wherever there is dirt, ugliness, sloth, gluttony, envy, rage, hypocrisy, greed and lust.”

Connection with other goddesses

A book on the Nakshatra constellations says the deity of the nineteenth lunar mansion of Mula is Nirriti, the goddess of destruction who has the power to “ruin, destroy or break things apart ("barhana shakti").” It also says Nirriti commonly takes the form of the goddess Kali. Alakshmi is another name for Nirriti. [Harness, Dennis M., Ph.D. "Nakshatras". Lotus Press, 1999 (ISBN 0914955837)]

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Kali (demon) — Hdeity infobox Image size =150px Caption =Kali (right) wielding a sword Name =Kali Devanagari =कलि Kannada = Sanskrit Transliteration = Káli Pali Transliteration = Tamil script = Script name = Script = Affiliation = Demon and negative… …   Wikipedia

  • Dhumavati — An early 20th century Rajput painting depicting dark complexioned Dhumavati wearing dark clothes and holding a winnowing basket. She is riding a crow but adorned with jewellery, decorations which are contrary to her traditional description …   Wikipedia

  • Lakshmi — For other uses, see Lakshmi (disambiguation). Lakshmi Lakshmi by Raja Ravi Varma Devanagari लक्ष्म …   Wikipedia

  • List of Hindu deities — This is a List of Hindu deities. Note that according to Hindu mythology there are 340 million (including local and regional) deities all of which cannot be listed. A* Aakash Sky * Acyutah Vishnu Avatar * Adimurti * Aditi Sky, Consciousness, The… …   Wikipedia

  • Manthara — (Sanskrit: मंथरा; Telugu: మంథర; Kannada: ಮಂಥರೆ), (also Kooni in some versions) [1] in the Hindu epic Ramayana, is a servant who convinced Kaikeyi that the throne of Ayodhya belonged to her son Bharata and that Rama should be exiled from the… …   Wikipedia

  • Sri sukta — Sri Sukta, also called Sri Suktam, is a Sanskrit devotional hymn (set of slokas) revering Sri or Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity and fertility. The hymns are found in the Rig Vedic khilanis, which are appendixes to the Rigveda… …   Wikipedia

  • Divali — (Dipavali)    Divali may be the most popular Indian festival. Unlike some other festivals, such as RAM LILA, it is celebrated in all parts of India. It starts on the 14th day of the lunar month of Ashvayuja and extends to the second day of the… …   Encyclopedia of Hinduism

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”